The present invention relates to a garment or strap-type device for holding and/or retaining certain indwelling catheters, e.g., a Hickman catheter, or similar device to a patient's body.
Garments and/or devices for holding or storing catheters or similar devices in various positions to patients' bodies have been described in the prior art. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,087,864, La Bove, et al., described a vest provided with pouches and pockets for holding items related to the use of intravenous medication. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,158, Rayhart, described a device for securing catheters adjacent to a patient's body.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,849, Muller, et. al., described a therapeutic appliance for holding a tube alongside a patient's body. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,863, Kaplan, et. al., described a separable fastener in the form of a strap for holding medical tubes to a human body. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,895,629, Snyder, described a garment for holding a medical instrument in place within a body aperture.
However, none of the previously mentioned patents suggested a device for holding certain indwelling catheters, e.g., a Hickman catheter, or similar device to a patient's body. Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to do so. A further objective of the present invention is to provide a garment which will allow for easy storage and use of certain indwelling catheters, e.g., a Hickman catheter or similar device. A further objective of the present invention is to protect the exposed end of the catheter by safely storing it near the patient's body and to allow the patient to move about freely with the catheter in place. An additional objective of the present invention is to safely secure a catheter to the body without using medical adhesive tape thereby avoiding the irritation to one's body and possible skin infection caused by prolonged use of said tape.
A Hickman indwelling catheter, consists of, generally speaking, a small rubber tube surgically implanted into the right atrium of the heart and is used to provide easy access to a patient's circulatory system. A typical schematic of a patient with a Hickman catheter or the like in operative connection is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings. A Hickman catheter is generally used for drawing blood, administering chemotherapy medications, and for giving blood products to the patient. However, the Hickman catheter does require daily care since it must be irrigated or flushed each day with a special solution. But even with this drawback, the Hickman catheter offers advantages to, e.g., cancer patients, who require frequent blood tests or chemotherapy in that it avoids frequent needle punctures, associated fears and anxiety and related risks of skin infections.